Survey: Nearly 3 In 4 Adults Have Seen Someone Try To Drink And Drive

The holidays are officially here, which means there are drinks a’plenty at gatherings all over metro Detroit.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, is taking the opportunity to remind local residents that if you’re drinking, you need to pre-determine a designated driver.

But that doesn’t always happen.

According to the newest national survey by MADD, 73 percent of adults 21 and older surveyed said they “have been at an event and seen someone try to drive home after drinking too much.”

How did these people say they’d handled these situations in the past?

46% drove the person home themselves

41% took away their keys

40% told the party host

25% called them a cab

19% did nothing

13% other

2% called law enforcement

“As we approach the holiday season, a time when people may be celebrating at parties where alcohol is served, MADD urges adults to plan ahead for a non-drinking designated driver, especially since drunk driving deaths typically spike over the holidays,” a MADD spokesman said.

In fact, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve in 2011*, 931 people were killed in drunk driving crashes nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

So, if you’re at the bar, have the bartender call a cab for yourself or a pal you’ve seen drink a few; at a house party or family gathering, make sure you never let anyone walk out the door if their sobriety is at all in question.